Insomniac warehouse worker killed himself after switching from night shifts to days

A WAREHOUSE worker who changed from night to day shifts killed himself after suffering insomnia from changes to his body clock, an inquest heard.

Marc Yeoman, 45, reported sleeping for less than an hour a night when he began a job at a B&Q warehouse that meant he had to get up at 5.30am.

Mr Yeoman, an avid climber, previously slept in the day and met his girlfriend in the afternoon but had been unable to see her for four weeks due to his working hours severely affecting his body clock, a coroner was told.

The inquest heard Mr Yeoman was prescribed sleeping tablets and antidepressants just two days before his death after he pleaded with his GP for help. His landlord found him dead in Fallowfield, near Manchester, on July 12 last year.

Mr Yeoman’s girlfriend, Kate Tyler, raised the alarm after he texted her saying: ‘xxx’ but then failed to say goodnight. Miss Tyler said: “He never came home to say he was suffering with mental health issues or depression. He did complain about his employment. His old boss would have given him his job back and we did speak about it, but I don’t think he acted on it. His insomnia was terrible.”

Miss Tyler added: “On July 10 I knew things were a bit different. He told me he had been to the doctors and they had given him some sleeping tablets, but they weren’t working. He just wanted to get a good night’s sleep.”

Jean Harkin, the assistant coroner, recorded a verdict of suicide.